Syrian refugee arrested in Germany over alleged terror plot

PUBLISHED Tue, May 30, 2017 - 9:11am EDT

File photo (Credit: Brandenburg Police)

German police have arrested a 17-year-old Syrian refugee who is accused of plotting a suicide attack in the capital Berlin, local authorities say. It was not immediately clear how advanced his alleged plot was. (more)

The teenager, who was not immediately identified, was arrested in Uckermark in Brandenburg state on Tuesday morning. He is accused of plotting to carry out a suicide attack in Berlin, according to Brandenburg Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schröter.

The minister said authorities were led to the suspect through information from other German states, but specific details about the alleged plot were not immediately released. The boy allegedly told his mother about his plan in a text message.

Schröter did not specify whether the boy planned to carry out a suicide bombing and, if so, whether he had already obtained explosives or any other weapons.

Brandenburg Police said the suspect came to Germany in 2015 and registered as an asylum seeker, after which he was placed in a home for unaccompanied refugee children in 2016.The boy had apparently left his family members to pursue jihad, the Potsdamer newspaper said.